Japan Australia Pages

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Ninja Day in Japan

Today, February 22 is Ninja Day in Japan. Yes, we actually have a “Ninja Day” here in Japan.

The day is unfortunately not an official national holiday but a campaign spearheaded by the ninja cities of Iga and Koka to promote ninja culture and the region.

Iga in Mie Prefecture is considered to be one of the homes of ninja and historically a ninja stronghold. Koka in neighbouring Shiga Prefecture is home to a rival ninja clan the Koga ninja, who were based in the area.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend checking out the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum in Iga. It is dedicated to the history of the ninja and ninjutsu and is a lot of fun.

Why is February 22 Ninja Day? Well, it is basically a play on words. In Japanese, the number two is pronounced “ni” which sounds like the “ni” in “ninja” (忍者). February 22 (2-22) has a lot of twos, so this is a good a reason as any to make this day officially recognized as “Ninja Day”.

Another reason could be that the date is reminiscent of famous Japanese anime character Ninja Hattori Kun’s catchphrase “nin nin”. Japan loves it puns and word play.

Both Iga and Koka will be holding special events and activities to celebrate Ninja Day and promote ninja culture.

Thanks Ru! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, I just found out after I posted this that it was 'Cat Day' as well. Maybe a combined post was in order. How about 'Ninja Cat Day'? Now, that would be a fun national holiday :)